


Jail Bond Jar

by Dawen



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, everyone in the Weasley family has a Legal History, rated for language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 16:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20049022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawen/pseuds/Dawen
Summary: Harry thought the location clock in the Weasleys' kitchen was pretty neat, but it still took a couple days and George owing a Galleon to the not-a-swear Jail Bond Jar to really understand why one of the locations on it wasprison.





	Jail Bond Jar

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by the notes of a Tumblr post, full of people speculating on why Mrs. Weasley's clock has "prison" as an option
> 
> enjoy~

“MERLIN’S BLOODY BUGGERING LEFT ARSECHEEK.”

Harry flinched, as much from surprise at George’s sheer volume than anything else. Fred gave an overdramatic gasp, one hand clasped to his heart and one draped daintily over his forehead.

Wide-eyed, Ron started counting on his fingers. He stopped on the fifth, his thumb, and his mouth dropped open - but before he could say anything, Mrs. Weasley’s voice came booming from the next room.

“That was an oath of more than four words! A Galleon in the jar, right now!”

George groaned, still hopping about on one foot. “One of them wasn’t even a swear word, Mum!”

“I don’t care!” Then, softer but still audible to Harry, “It’s been less than a week, we need to build that buffer again…”

Harry turned to Ron, who looked utterly delighted as George limp-trudged up the stairs to, presumably, find a Galleon. “I didn’t realize you had a swear jar.”

Ron blinked at him, the delight dimming but still present in his face. “Not… it’s not really a traditional one? Swearing’s not the only reason to owe money.”

George clomped down the stairs again, golden Galleon held between two fingers. Harry watched the coin flash over George’s knuckles before disappearing into the not-a-swear jar. He noticed the jar was unlabelled. There was no indication of why the money was in it, or what the money would eventually be used for.

“What else can make you contribute?” Harry asked, still trying to decide if he wanted to know so he could  _ avoid _ them, or so he could make sure to  _ do _ them and pay the Weasleys back a little.

“Oh, you know… being too slow with chores, like, peeling potatoes shouldn’t take two hours. Having to be called for dinner more than twice… Dad pays a lot for that one. That kind of thing.”

“It’s the jail bond jar,” Fred said, a mischievous smirk on his face, having apparently noticed Harry still looking at it. Harry slowly wheeled to face Ron again. Ron was more likely to give him a true answer than Fred when he looked like that - nothing good ever came from that expression on either twin.

Ron blinked back at him, looking befuddled. “Well… I mean, yeah, that’s what we use the money for. Paying jail bonds. Sometimes Great Aunt Muriel helps out, or one of Dad’s cousins, but…” He gestured loosely with one hand,  _ what are you gonna do _ .

Harry leaned forward to look at the jar again. It looked like it was an old pickle jar with the original label peeled off but not the Muggle glue, about half full of mostly Knuts but also some Sickles and a handful of Galleons. The one George just dropped in gleamed on top.  _ It’s been less than a week _ , Mrs. Weasley had said.

“Does your family… often end up in prison?” Harry asked uncertainly.

“Mate, smuggling dragons - especially unregistered dragons,  _ especially _ over national borders - is illegal and the only reason Charlie didn’t come to pick up Norbert’s ‘cause his friends who  _ did _ show up were already in England, and he was on probation anyway. Dad has a loophole for his Muggle thingies now, but he didn’t always. And Fred and George - “ Ron gestured again, this time in the direction of the twins, who were now huddled over some fireworks and whispering to each other.

Harry grimaced and nodded. The twins. No more explanation necessary.

“Oh, and last time we needed to break the jar, it was Mum in prison,” Ron finished thoughtfully. “For jinxing a pair of witches in Diagon Alley. Just before Fred and George and I came to get you.”

“MUM!” came Percy’s voice from the kitchen, before Harry could fully process that. “LOOKS LIKE BILL’S IN PRISON AGAIN!”

_ Again _ , Harry mouthed to himself, as the Burrow erupted into even more chaotic energy.


End file.
